A man charged with setting fire to a Melbourne synagogue appeared in court on Wednesday over an attack Australia says was orchestrated by Iran and has led to the expulsion of Tehran's ambassador.
Australia said on Tuesday Iran sought to disguise its involvement in two 2024 attacks, at the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne and on a kosher restaurant in Sydney, by using criminals and members of organized crime gangs. Canberra is the latest Western government to accuse Iran of carrying out hostile covert activities on its soil. Last month, 14 countries, including Britain, the U.S. and France, condemned what they called a surge in assassination, kidnapping and harassment plots by Iranian intelligence services.
Younes Ali Younes, 20, appeared for the first time via video link at Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday in connection with the attack on the synagogue in December 2024, that gutted the building and destroyed sacred texts, causing millions of dollars in damage.
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